


Afternoon Tea

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Conversations, First Dates, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Malec, Pre-Slash, Self Confidence Issues, Tea, flirty Magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-06 00:37:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1837954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Why is it someone so pretty like you - and personable, as I can see now - is still in the closet? Why don't you have a boyfriend? Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that you don't or we wouldn't be here right now."</p>
<p>Pre-slash Malec. Kind of a first-date fic where they get together. Sort of like Cassandra Clare's <i>Kissed </i>, but a different take on how they got together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Afternoon Tea

**Author's Note:**

> Pre-slash Malec with tea. 'Nuff said.

"What blend do you prefer?" Magnus asked idly, looking over his shoulder at Alec. "I've got everything that you could imagine, but if you want something else, it's just a finger snap away."

Alec looked away from staring holes into the wall - what he saw there, or what he was thinking about, Magnus had no idea - and up at him. His fingers drummed erratically against his washed-out blue jeans. "Um... I don't know. Black or green. Whatever's the easiest."

Magnus arched an eyebrow. "‘Black or green’?" he echoed, shaking his head slightly. "Oh, Alexander. What have you been drinking for the past decade?"

"Coffee," Alec replied bluntly.

Magnus felt the corners of his lips twitch up. "Coffee's good," he said, "but tea's the proper way to have a good conversation in the afternoon. Tea and biscuits."

"Where did you come from, England?"

His lips went up the rest of the way, teeth showing in a smile. "I used to live in England for a time. I suppose the first order of business is to tell you that I'm eight-hundred years old. I've gotten around."

Alec started, looking up at him with surprised eyes. "You're eight-hundred?"

"Give or take," Magnus said dismissively, waving his hand. "But we'll talk over our tea. Tell me, Shadowhunter: do you trust me?"

"No." Another blunt, straight-to-the-point answer.

Magnus stared at him for a minute before laughing out loud. He turned around again, immersing himself back into the cabinet full of loose-leaf tea leaves. "Good answer. I'll just take the chance that you'll trust me to make you tea this one time." He pulled out a canister and set it aside, closing the cabinet.

"Yeah, sure..."

Magnus reached for the kettle. "You like the place?" he asked, gently pouring the hot water over the strainer nestled over the teapot.

"It looks... different not under the assumption that it's a huge brothel meant for parties and entertainment," Alec said.

"You thought my house was a front for a brothel?" Magnus asked with amusement. "And you came back? Hmm..."

Alec huffed. "Well, you invited me over."

"After you called me."

"You outed me at your party."

"Touché," Magnus said calmly, putting the lid on the teapot. He turned back around, arms crossed. "My apologies. I didn't realize that you were still in the closet."

"How did you know?" Alec asked.

Magnus raised his eyebrows.

"I'm serious," Alec said, a little defending. "Clary knew it, too, but... I don't... I'm not like..." His eyes settled on Magnus, raking up to meet his gaze. "... You."

"I can see that. Unlike your blonde Shadowhunter friend, I'm not so full of myself to think I would enjoy dating myself. That's why I'd rather date you."

Alec's lips parted as though he was going to say something, but then he didn't. They closed again. "How did you know?" Alec repeated, after a short moment.

"Alexander," Magnus said tolerantly, "we're both of the same cut of cloth, so to speak. I know them when I see them. Call it... gaydar, if you will."

Alec cracked a smile at that, his pale skin tinting pink under the florescent lighting of Magnus's kitchen. He turned away. "You don't have a gaydar. It's not a real thing."

"I don't know. Some people are obvious. Like me," he added, turning to the cupboard. From it, he removed two of his finest teacups, sending them floating through the air to the table. One set down, saucer appearing beneath it, neatly in front of Alec; the other, where Magnus would eventually take a seat. "But then, I don't really try to hide it."

"Good thing," Alec muttered.

"Don't pretend you don't like it." Magnus picked up the teapot and carried it over to the table, setting it gently down in the center. "Do you want some biscuits to go with that?"

"I didn't say I liked you." Alec stiffened. "It. I mean, I didn't say I liked _it_."

Magnus felt his eyebrow twitch up again. He knew that Alec was his type without even talking to him - black hair, blue eyes - but the conversation they were having now was thoroughly entertaining. He was never going to be bored with Alec; he knew that without a pause. "So, you like me then?"

Alec's face went pure red beneath his black bangs. He huffed again, those bangs fluttering with the breath, as he became inordinately interested in the empty teacup in front of him. "I didn't say that. Stop twisting things around."

"I haven't a clue what you mean," Magnus said dismissively, turning and walking back to the cabinet. He searched through it for a moment before procuring up a tin of biscuits, sending them to the table with a wave of his hand. "Those were actually made in France, if you'll pardon the lack of English ones this occasion."

"That's... fine."

"Good." Magnus took the milk and sugar over to the table, setting it down. "There's honey, if you prefer, but I like to think you'll take this tea the way I do." He picked up the teapot and gave it a little swirl before looking at Alec expectantly.

Alec looked up at him. "... Why are you staring at me like that?" He shifted a bit, fingers pulling at a loose thread on the hem of his shirt. He really needed to dress better. He was far too gorgeous for that baggy t-shirt and ripped up jeans.

Magnus laughed softly. "You look as though you expect me to ravish you on the kitchen table," he joked. "I just want to pour you a cup of tea. Unless," he added, "you _want_ me to ravish you on the kitchen table."

"Oh." Alec picked up the teacup carefully, not looking Magnus in the eye. "Thanks..."

"Not a rebuttal nor a declaration of undying love," Magnus mused, expertly pouring Alec the finest blend of tea he had in his house right now. Quite his favourite blend of tea, to be honest. "I'll take it." He walked back to his side of the table, sliding gracefully into his seat to pour his own cup. "Tell me about yourself, Alexander."

"No one calls me that," Alec interrupted. "Except my parents and most of the time, they don't call me that, either."

"Why not?" Magnus asked, stirring a splash of milk into his tea. "'Alexander' is a beautiful name. Perfect for a handsome Shadowhunter like you." He offered the milk to Alec.

Alec took it. Their fingers brushed over the plastic jug. Alec's fingers were warm. Magnus smiled to himself.

"Fine," Alec murmured, as if he hadn't noticed. "Call me whatever you want. I don't know what you want me to talk about. My life is not exciting."

"You're a Shadowhunter," Magnus reminded gently, turning over a sugar cube in his palm. "Your life is never boring."

Alec shrugged, stirring his tea. "I fight demons, okay."

"You very nearly got killed by a demon not terribly long after I met you for the first time," Magnus said, raising his teacup to his lips. "Now tell me there's _not_ a story behind that," he said, looking at Alec over the cup.

Alec looked up at him. "You never heard the story? I mean, not that there's a story. We were fighting a demon for Clary. I mistepped. I was slow. I would have died." He shrugged a bit. "... I said thanks for that, didn't I?"

"No." Magnus took a drink. "But, to be fair, I was gone before you woke up, so you didn't get the chance."

"Oh, yeah..." Alec took three sugar cubes. "Why didn't you stick around?"

It was Magnus's turn to shrug. "The Institute unsettles me. Remember: I'm a Downworlder. I have no allegiance to the Clave."

"Why did you come, then?" Alec asked, eyes gazing curiously towards him.

Magnus hesitated. _That_ was a good question. The truth was that he was enamored by Alec's good looks and general backwardness. He wanted to bring him out of his shell. However, _You're too good looking to let die_ seemed shallow, albeit if it was partly true.

"Because I'd like to have allegiance to you," he said shortly.

Alec, who had just taken the first drink of his tea, choked.

Magnus started, twitching a finger to clear up Alec's airway. "If you wanted to be closer to me, you could have asked for a kiss, not impending CPR."

Alec laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his hand against his mouth. "I didn't have an ulterior motive, it's just... not what I thought you'd say."

Magnus tilted his head slightly. "What?"

"Allegiance to me." Alec wrinkled his nose. "I thought you'd say... I don't know... something stupid like my eyes were too beautiful to see them close forever."

Magnus tried not to grin too widely. "You think I'm that shallow?"

"Yes," Alec said bluntly.

Magnus laughed, resting his head on his hand. "Maybe so. But you are pretty. Handsome. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"No one has ever told me otherwise," Alec muttered.

"Good." Magnus sipped his tea again. "Why is it someone so pretty like you - and personable, as I can see now - is still in the closet? Why don't you have a boyfriend? Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that you don't or we wouldn't be here right now. But..."

Alec traced his finger along the rim of his cup. "... You really aren't gay in the Clave," he muttered.

"Ah." Magnus nodded slightly. "If you _weren't_ in the Clave, would you act differently?"

Alec shrugged. "I dunno. I doubt it. I don't really..." His eyes flickered around Magnus's body, looking but not lingering. "... I'm not like you."

"You should have the confidence," Magnus said kindly. "You could catch many an eye. Black muscle shirt, leather jacket, buckled capris," he said contemplatively. "A smudge of kohl and some glitter-"

"No," Alec interrupted.

Magnus looked back at his eyes.

"I just... It makes me uncomfortable," he muttered.

"Yes, I gathered," Magnus mused, reaching forward to take a biscuit. "But I do believe that you would be gorgeous in it. I suppose that's a conversation for another day, though." He dipped it in his tea. "What do you like to do?"

Alec swallowed a mouthful of tea. "What?"

"What do you like to do? Hobbies?"

"I don't know... Like I said, I'm not very interesting-"

"Contrary," Magnus interrupted. "You _are_ very interesting. You just think that you aren't." He dunked the biscuit again and finished it off, licking tea from his fingertips. "You're an introvert. I'd wager you spend a lot of time reading."

Alec blinked in surprise before nodding. "Yeah."

"Good. Tell me something I wouldn't know."

"Tell you... How would I know what you know?" Alec retorted.

"Pick something that you know that you think a lot of people don't, and tell me. You said you read a lot, so give me some trivia."

Alec made a face and sipped at his tea. Magnus could see the cogs working in his brain.

When Alec settled upon his topic, Magnus smiled and put up the perfect face that he _didn't_ know what the Shadowhunter was talking about even when he did. Because this was the most animated Alec had been so far, talking about one of the old wars between Downworlder and Shadowhunter. And he _did_ surprise him at one point, mentioning something about ‘Herondale’ that made his blood pop in his ears and Alec grinned at him because he must have thought he said something that Magnus didn't know. Magnus forgot about Will Herondale. Alec's smile was like the sun.

"Smile more often," Magnus said.

Alec's smile immediately fell away. "What?"

"Smile," Magnus repeated. "You have a beautiful smile."

Now Alec was frowning. "You keep saying everything about me is beautiful."

Magnus raised his eyebrows again. "Do you not believe me?"

Alec swallowed and became interested in his tea and biscuits again.

Magnus laughed to himself. "So, an eye for an eye: you like reading? I like parties, pizza, and blue eyes framed by black hair. I'm eight-hundred, immortal to aging, I like my cat more than I like people - blue eyes, black hair notwithstanding," he added, nodding at Alec, "and I like watching sappy flicks with a bowl of popcorn and a good blanket and a partner to cuddle with."

Alec cracked a small smile again.

"Sound acceptable to you?" Magnus asked.

Alec looked up. "Acceptable? Is that a proposition?"

Magnus shrugged a shoulder. "I would say _Alexander, d'you wanna be my boyfriend?_ , but neither of us are twelve and I despise doing things the ‘normal’ way."

Alec blinked and nodded slowly.

"Yes? Just like that?"

Alec frowned. "Did you want me to say no?"

"No." Magnus grinned. "Just expected something different, that's all."

"Well... I called, didn't I?" Alec said, straightening up a bit. "I wouldn't have come if I hadn't thought about it beforehand."

"Oh, and here I was thinking that I'd charmed you with my tea and communication skills."

Alec laughed slightly, shaking his head. "No. But," he added, "the tea is good, though."

Magnus smiled warmly. "Good. You like me, you like my tea, and now all we have to see is if Chairman Meow likes _you_."

"Chairman Meow?" Alec questioned.

"My cat," Magnus grinned.

Alec laughed again. "Well... good thing I don't mind cats."

"It's a good thing indeed... Alexander," Magnus replied, smiling pleasantly over his tea.

 

**Author's Note:**

>  _Mortal Instruments, Kissed,_ and all involved characters belong to Cassandra Clare. I do not own them.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
